Closure element

ABSTRACT

A closure element for installation in an opening of a container and having a first and second closures members. The second closure member is flexible and movable between a closed position wherein portions of the second closure member contact and nest in portions of the first closure member and an open position wherein the second closure member is spaced from the first closure member.

United States Patent Collie 51 Mar. 14, 1972 [54] CLOSURE ELEMENT Primary Examiner-Edward A. Sroka Assistant Examiner-Alfred N. Goodman [72] Inventor: Staflord D. Collie, Glen Ellyn, lll. Anomey young and Quigg [73] Assignee: Phillips Petroleum Com any p [57] ABSTRACT [22] Filed: Apr. 23, 1970 A closure element for installation in an opening of a container [21] PP N04 31,244 and having a first and second closures members. The second [52] U.S. Cl. ,.229/7, 220/DIG, 19 closure member is flexible and movable between a closed [51] Int. Cl .3651! 39/00 position wherein portions of the second closure member con- [58] Field of Search ..229/7, 62.5; 150/9; 312/1; tact and nest in portions of the first closure member and an 220/DIG. 19 open position wherein the second closure member is spaced 56] References Cited from the first closure member.

FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS l! c e lP 595,060 6/1959 Italy ..220/DlG. l9

PATENIEDMAR 14 I972 3.648.917

sum 1 [1F 2 FIG. 3

INVENTOR. S. D. COLLIE A TTOR/VEVS CLOSURE ELEMENT This invention resides in a closure element for a container. In another aspect, the invention resides in a closure element for opening and closing a container at an edge of said container.

Cartons which contain powdered milk, granulated washing soap, sugar, and the like, are often difficult to easily seal against moisture and spillage when said container is accidentally turned over. Attempts have been made to provide a closure element that is inexpensive and functions properly. These attempts have generally failed in that heretofore utilized closures that function properly have generally been prohibitively expensive or required a great deal of time and expensive equipment to attach the closure element to the container.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide aclosure for a container. Another object of this invention is to provide a closure for opening and closing an edge portion of acontainer. Yet another object of this invention is to provide a closure element for a container that is inexpensive and easily formed and installed on the container. A further object of this invention is to provide a closure element for a container that is easy to open and close and functions to effectively seal the container.

Other aspects, objects and advantages of the present'invention will become apparent from a study of the disclosure, the appended claims, and the drawing.

The drawings are diagrammatic partial sectional views of the closure element of this invention.

FIG. 1 shows the closure element in partial section installed on the walls of a container.

FIG. 2 shows a sectional view of the closure during construction of the closure,

FIG. 3 shows a top view of the closure during construction of the closure,

FIG. 4 shows a top view of another embodimentof' the closure during construction of the closure, and

FIG. 5 is a diagrammatic view of the container in an open position.

Referring to FIG. 1, first and second walls 2,4 of a container are connected one to the other and have a common opening 6 formed through said walls 2,4. A closure element 8 has a flange 10 which is comprised of first and second portions 12,14 (better shown in FIG. 3). The first and second portions 12,14 of the flange 10 circumscribe the common openings 6 and are adjacent and attached to respective walls 2,4 of the container in the formed position of the container and the closure element 8.

A first closure member 16 has first and second end portions 18,20 and is attached at the first end portion 18 to the first portion 12 of the flange 10. The first closure member 16 extends a distance outwardly from the first portion l2'of the flange 10 and in a direction generally toward the second portion 14 of the flange 10in the installed position of the closure element 8.

A second closure member 22 is attached at a first end portion 24 to the second portion 14 of the flange 10. The second closure member 22 extends a distance outwardly from the second flange portion 14, is flexible, and is movable between a closed position shown and an open position (shown in FIG. 5 and by a broken line in FIG. 1. At the closed position of the second closure member 22 a second end portion 26 of the member 22 is contacting and nesting within the second end portion of the first closure member 16 along substantially the entire length of said first closure member 16. At the open position of the second closure member 22, as better seen in FIG. 5, the second end portion 26 of the second member 22 is spaced from the second end portion 20 of the first closure member 16 in the installed position of the closure 8. In the closed and sealed condition of the closure 8 and the container, a sealing strip 28, for example, can be attached to the first and second walls 2,4 covering the opening 6 to seal the container. The sealing of the closure can also be by the walls themselves,

for example, with perforations through the walls-2,4 whereby the opening 6 can be formed by tearing out an area of the first and second walls 2,4 encompassed by the perforations.

Referring to FIG. 2, the closure element 8 is preferably formed of a resinous plastic material such as, for example, vinyl polymers and copolymers, polystyrene and polystyrene containing polymers, polypropylene and copolymers of propylene, polyethylene and copolymers of ethylene and butylene, and polyamides by injection molding or preferably vacuum molding to assure close tolerance of the configuration of the closure members 16,22.

Where the closure element 8 is fonned of the abovedescribed materials,said element 8'can thereafter be easilyattached to the walls 2,4 of a paperboard container by, forexample, glueing withthe glueingequipment presently utilized for forming the container or by heat sealing. As shown in FIG. 2, the closure member are each portions of a shell having generally a domed configuration. The domed-portion 30 can be formed by vacuum'forming a sheet of heated'thermoplastic material.

Referringto FIG. 3, after the domed structure, for example, is formed, a section 32 of the dome-30is removed preferably on either side of an imaginary line extending along the surface of the dome symmetrically dividing said dome. The dimensions of the section 32 are dependentupon the angle at which the walls 2,4 are joined one to the other, the amount of opening desired in the open position of the closure, and the amount of overlapping of closure members desired. Those skilled in the art can easily determine the dimensions of the section 32 when the variables of the container have been determined. It is preferable, however, that portions of the second closure member 22 overlap the first closure member 16 in the closed position by at least one-eighth inch. It'has been found that if the overlap is less than one-eighth inch the second member 22 cannot be easily grasped with an operator's fingers for movement of the member from the closed to the open position. If desired, however, a string or pullcord can be fixed to the second end portion 26 of the second closure member 22'for moving the member to the open position and'with such 'construction the overlap could be less than one-eighth inch.

FIG. 4 shows another embodiment of the closure element 8 of this invention. Here the first andsecond'closure members 16,22 are each portions of a shell having-generally a pyramidal configuration with a removed section 32 as opposed to the embodiment shown'in FIG. 3 wherein the members are each portions of a shell having generally a domed configuration or being a portion or segment of a sphere.

Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, a fold line or score line '34 is preferably formed on the flange at the junction between the first and second portions 12,14 of the flange 10. Byproviding this score line 34, the flange portions 12,14 can be more easily and exactly aligned relativeto the walls to which they will be attached with oneflange portion being at one angle relative to the other flange portion. In order that the second closure member 22 can be more easily moved to the open position and there maintained, it is preferred that a score line 36, preferably a V-shaped fold line or score line'36, be formed along the junction of the second closure member 22-and the second portion 14 of the flange 10 on a surface of the closure element 8 that is immediately adjacent the walls 4 of the container in the formed position of the container.

It should be understood that the configuration of the flange- 10 as shown in the drawings and described herein is for exam-- closure can be used oncontainers having-walls and intersected angles other than "-'in which case the angle between'the first and second flange portions changesand the dimensions of the section 30 change to adapt the closure to thecontainer upon which it is used.

nun-1 nan! Other modifications and alterations of this invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the foregoing discussion and accompanying drawings, and it should be understood that this invention is not to be unduly limited thereto.

What is claimed is:

l. A closure for attachment to an edge of a container about a common opening formed through adjacent portions of first and second connected, abutting walls of the container, comprising:

a flange having first and second portions, said flange circumscribing the common opening formed through adjacent portions of first and second connected, abutting walls and being adjacent and attached to first and second connected, abutting walls of the container in the installed position of the closure;

a first closure member having first second end portions and being attached at the first end portion to the first portion of the flange and extending a distance outwardly from the first flange portion and toward the second portion of the flange in the installed position of the closure; and

a second closure member being attached at a first end portion to the second portion of the flange and extending a distance outwardly from the second flange portion and being flexible and movable between a closed position at which a second end portion of the second member is contacting and nesting within the second end portion of the first closure member and an open position at which the second end portion of the second member is spaced from the second end portion of the first closure member in the installed position of the closure.

2. A closure, as set forth in claim 1, wherein said closure is formed of a resinous plastic.

3. A closure, as set forth in claim 1, wherein said closure is formed of polypropylene.

4. A closure, as set forth in claim 1, wherein said closure is formed of polyethylene.

5. A closure, as set forth in claim 2, wherein the first and second closure elements are each portions of a vacuumformed shell.

6. A closure, as set forth in claim 1, wherein the first and second closure members are each portions of a shell having generally a domed configuration. v

7. A closure, as set forth in claim 1, wherein the first and second closure members are each portions of a shell having generally a pyramidal configuration.

8. A closure, as set forth in claim 1, wherein portions of the second closure member overlap the first closure member in the closed position by at least one-eighth inch.

9. A closure, as set forth in claim 1, including a score line formed along the junction of the second closure member and the second portion of the flange on a surface immediately adjacent the walls.

10. A closure, as set forth in claim 1, wherein the first and second portions of the flange are positioned at an angle of about relative one to the other.

11. A closure, as set forth in claim 1, including a score line formed at the junction of the first and second portions of the flange.

vnunn-l mum 

1. A closure for attachment to an edge of a container about a common opening formed through adjacent portions of first and second connected, abutting walls of the container, comprising: a flange having first and second portions, said flange circumscribing the common opening formed through adjacent portions of first and second connected, abutting walls and being adjacent and attached to first and second connected, abutting walls of the container in the installed position of the closure; a first closure member having first and second end portions and being attached at the first end portion to the first portion of the flange and extending a distance outwardly from the first flange portion and toward the second portion of the flange in the installed position of the closure; and a second closure member being attached at a first end portion to the second portion of the flange and extending a distance outwardly from the second flange portion and being flexible and movable between a closed position at which a second end portion of the second member is contacting and nesting within the second end portion of the first closure member and an open position at which the second end portion of the second member is spaced from the second end portion of the first closure member in the installed position of the closure.
 2. A closure, as set forth in claim 1, wherein said closure is formed of a resinous plastic.
 3. A closure, as set forth in claim 1, wherein said closure is formed of polypropylene.
 4. A closure, as set forth in claim 1, wherein said closure is formed of polyethylene.
 5. A closure, as set forth in claim 2, wherein the first and second closure elements are each portions of a vacuum-formed shell.
 6. A closure, as set forth in claim 1, wherein the first and second closure members are each portions of a shell having generally a domed configuration.
 7. A closure, as set forth in claim 1, wherein the first and second closure members are each portions of a shell having generally a pyramidal configuration.
 8. A closure, as set forth in claim 1, wherein portions of the second closure member overlap the first closure member in the closed position by at least one-eighth inch.
 9. A closure, as set forth in claim 1, including a score line formed along the junction of the second closure member and the second portion of the flange on a surface immediately adjacent the walls.
 10. A closure, as set forth in claim 1, wherein the first and second portions of the flange are positioned at an angle of about 90* relative one to the other.
 11. A closure, as set forth in claim 1, including a score line formed at the junction of the first and second portions of the flange. 